Fran's Fitness Over 50

Uncertainty can provide opportunity

We humans hate uncertainty. When I’m faced with uncertainty, my brain kind of jitters. I know I’m not alone. If a repair person gives me a four-hour window, it’s frustrating. If my website goes down and the hosting provider doesn’t have a clear-cut answer as to when it’ll be fixed, it’s scary. At least one neuroscientist, though, says that uncertainty can provide great opportunity.

A shocking result (literally)

There’s a study out that shows that people are more stressed when faced with a 50% chance of getting an electric shock than when faced with a 100% chance. The certainty lets you prepare for what you know is coming. We don’t want to face the ambiguity of not knowing. And how can you prepare for something you’re not sure will come?

Easier to pick up the pieces?

In some ways, it’s easier to pick up the pieces after a calamity. The worst has happened and we can deal with it. We can form a plan and move on to putting that plan in motion. That’s what our resilience can do for us. And to make our resilience even stronger, neuroscientist Maya Shankar says rather than define ourselves by the things we can do, we should define ourselves by figuring out why we do those things. Your why can help you get through those tough times. Shankar delved deep after a hand injury ended her concert violin dreams and discovered that a love of human connection was at the root of that dream. She was able to shift successfully into an avenue that let her keep those human connections.

Embrace your shiny object syndrome!

And Shankar also tells us to embrace the distractions we come across in our lives. They can give us the break we need to let the uncertainty or chaos settle. We humans can get used to just about anything. And by giving ourselves some time, we can let our brains figure out how to deal with it. We’re usually told that confronting the bad stuff right away is the way to get through it. And that works for some of us. But if you’ve tried that and it just scares you more, set it aside for a bit. Let yourself be distracted. Go follow that shiny object. When you come back to face the hard stuff, you might be more ready.

The sneaky reason we seniors feel the heat more

It’s not just you. We seniors feel the heat more now than we used to. Yet another thing we lose as we age (besides our hair, our eyesight, our hearing, and our sense of balance) is the ability of our sweat glands to regulate our internal thermostat. Our sweat glands become less efficient, so we feel the heat more. And some prescriptions we take can also affect our body’s ability to cool itself. In extreme heat, we can become warm without even realizing it, and that could be dangerous.

But before you vow to not leave air conditioning for the foreseeable future, know that you don’t have to stop doing the things you love to do. You may have to modify them a bit and make some accommodations to your physical reality, but don’t stop.

You’ve all heard the advice to drink more fluids when it’s hotter, and that’s good advice. It’s always wise to stay hydrated. But when it’s hot, you may not realize that you need to take a drink of water before you’re thirsty. And ask your doctor if any of your prescriptions can affect how you feel the heat.

You’ll see more folks out walking really early when it’s hot, and that’s sensible. Do your walking before it gets too hot. And you may also want to take it a little easy on extreme heat days. The Centers for Disease Control has a Heat Risk Tracker that you can check just by entering your zip code to see how your area may be affected.

The clothes you choose to wear can make you more comfortable, too. Fabrics that breathe, like cotton, help keep you cool. And clothes that fit you more loosely help as well.

So, don’t let the heat scare you. We feel the heat more, but if we’re prepared we can still enjoy the summer months.

Get mobile

I turn 71 next week. Scary. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, researching fitness topics over the years, it’s that we all want to maintain our independence as we age. We want to be able to do the things we want to do when we want to do them and not be tied to someone else’s schedule. This increases our resilience. And, of course, ties into our healthy aging goals. We need to be mobile, to maintain our balance, and have the strength to carry ourselves and the stuff we take out of or into our homes. You know that I’m a fierce balance advocate. (Join the Balance for Fitness, Balance for Life group on Facebook for daily 2-minute exercise recommendations.) And I’ve talked about incorporating strength work into the exercise programs we do. But what does it mean to get mobile?

Joint mobility means how well an individual joint or a group of joints—like your shoulders or hips—can move. A healthy joint is able to move more and move better, and it’s less likely to cause pain or get injured, according to the Silver Sneakers blog. But how well we move throughout the day requires full body mobility, and that means that all our parts have to work well together.

We need good posture to keep our back straight and shoulders unhunched, a strong core for power. And we need good balance to keep us sure-footed.

Flexibility helps with that movement. If we can touch our toes, then our hips and legs are working. But to truly get mobile, we’ll need some more dynamic exercises that work multiple parts at once. Lunges get those legs working. Go slow and easy with them at first, making sure your knees don’t go past 90 degrees. If you can see your shoelaces over your knee, you’re doing well. If you need a stick to help at first, use it. Do 8 to 10 on each side.

Another good mobility exercise is bird dog. On all fours with hands directly below shoulders and knees directly below hips, lift opposite limbs. Left arm and right leg. And hold for a bit. Lower slowly and switch. Do 8 to 10 of those.

Chair pose works the core. Tighten it, stand with feet shoulder width apart, raise your arms for counterbalance and lower down as if you’re hovering over a chair. Hold for about 5 breaths and stand up. Repeat a few more times.

These are just a couple of mobility exercises. There are so many more. Don’t forget that a part of staying independent is to get mobile.

Not wanting to do something is not a good excuse

I never want to exercise. Honestly. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it because it’s true. I was working at a dog obedience trial all day on Sunday – if you’ve never been to one, it’s amazing watching the amazing teams. Anyway, I was on my feet all day, and the last thing I wanted to do on Monday was get on the treadmill. But not wanting to do something is not a good excuse for not doing it. So I did it.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons that you don’t exercise on any given day. You might be sick with a chest cold. Or you have an important appointment that you can’t miss at the time you originally scheduled to work out. Or you have to take the dog to the vet. Those are certainly valid reasons to not exercise.

But on normal days – what’s the motivation to get you exercising when you don’t feel like it? How do you talk yourself into doing something when you don’t want to? I thought about how I’d feel when I was done. It was a slog, and I probably didn’t give it my all the way I usually do, but I did it. Over a mile at 10 percent incline, over 4 miles per hour. And I was so grateful when the time was up. But I felt completely virtuous.

I also was at an exciting part of the book I’m listening to. The one thing that keeps me getting back on the treadmill is listening to audiobooks. No self-help or non-fiction for me, either. It’s got to be something that holds my attention. It’s great escape so I don’t think about how much I dislike what I’m doing.

I also think about how doing the treadmill thing works into my overall fitness goal. Maintaining my endurance keeps me getting back on. I want to be able to play with my dogs for many years to come. Having that endurance also ensures my independence. So I keep getting on the treadmill and working out..

The site, “Time For Your Life” also suggests breaking down the thing you don’t want to do into “laughably small steps” so that it’s completely painless. Like setting a timer for 5 minutes to get started on something you don’t want to do. I completely agree. I tell people to just start to exercise when they don’t want to. If you still don’t want to exercise after 5 minutes, then it’s okay to think about quitting.

But just not wanting to do something is not a good excuse.

We can be as flexible as we want to be

As flexible as we want to be

Do you look back fondly on the days you could tie your shoes without sitting down? Don’t accept as a fact that you’ll never be as flexible as that again. It might take some time, thought, and care, but we folks over 50 can be as flexible as we want to be. In fact, when done with focus, stretching can help us avoid pain. As an example, if the muscles in the front of your legs are too tight, it can lead to movement limitation in our pelvis and hips which can lead to lower back pain.

Becoming flexible can help prevent muscle and disk strains, shoulder strains, and backaches, according to WebMD. Working on your flexibility is also good for improving your balance. But don’t try to touch your toes the first time you try a stretching routine unless you’ve been doing that for a while. Start slowly and work your way up to the big stuff.

Static stretches first

You may want to start with static stretches – that is, holding a position for up to 30 seconds and then relaxing. And repeat a couple more times. But don’t bounce into the position – this can lead to injury.

Isometric Stretches

Isometric stretches are similar, but when you’re in the position, contract the muscle you’re stretching. Contract and release a few times while you’re holding. This can be hard, since we’re not always aware of the specific muscles we’re working. I know I’m not.

Dynamic Stretches

Dynamic stretches incorporate movement. Things like head rolls, leg swings, hip circles, and walking lunges are examples of dynamic stretches. Repeat for a certain number of repetitions, say 10 or 12.

If you decide that you want to incorporate stretches into your daily routine, decide when you want to do them and stick to a plan.

We’ve talked about goals and plans before – make sure that your plan is reasonable and achievable. Decide on the specific stretches you want to do, and reassess after a few weeks to make sure that you’re still getting benefits from your new routine. If you want to delve deeper, you can check out classes that focus on stretching and flexibility like Pilates, Yoga, and Tai Chi.

Use the stream for your fitness

We’re all so used to that little circle in the corner of our screens now – the commercial count-down. Those commercials are annoying, yes, but rather than be annoyed, use the stream for your fitness.

Social media calls this movement snacking – the idea is to move in the time it would take you to get a snack. This snack can counteract the effects of sitting too long. You know the feeling – when your knees and back are stiff when you stand up, you know you’ve been sitting too long. My sister and I tell each other to stand up at our desks when we’ve been deep in concentration all morning. And when we forget, if one of us gets up and our knees are stiff, we exclaim that we’ve been sitting for too long.

And these short bursts of activity can help regulate your blood sugar, boost your circulation, and enhance your focus.

Your movement snack can be as simple as just standing up and sitting down (without using your hands, of course) for the 90 seconds or so of the commercial break. Stepping from side to side is another good move. Marching in place with raised knees will get your heart rate up a little too. If the commercial has good music, dance to it. That’s a great movement snack. It really doesn’t matter what exercise you do, as long as you get up and do something. And if getting up isn’t an option, then sit up straight and move your feet side to side. Raise your arms overhead and lower them. Do some biceps curls even if you don’t have weights. Make a fist.

After consuming these movement snacks, you’ll also find that your energy level is higher. It could be that you may not fall asleep on the couch after dinner.
If there’s no commercial timer on the stream, just set your phone’s timer for 2 minutes. I’ll bet you’ll see a difference in how you feel with just a few days of using the stream for your fitness. You’re doing something good for your healthy aging and your resilience. In just a few days, you’re creating a great healthy habit. This is a good way to practice self-care. You’re making sure that you’ll be around for those who need you.

Stop scrolling and start balancing

How much time do you spend waiting in your kitchen? Waiting for the microwave, waiting for the water to boil, waiting and stirring the pasta sauce. It can be relaxing, but aren’t you just wasting that time scrolling through your social media feeds? You could actually be using that waiting time to be improving your balance and stabilizing your core. Stop scrolling and start balancing.

Story time – why focusing on balance is important to me. You’ve probably seen ads from perky young trainers who advise their older clients to work on their balance – a simple 30-minute program to improve your balance. Guess what? Not gonna happen. Working on balance is not the most fun thing. And if you have to do it for 30 minutes at a time, you’re only going to do it once. And that won’t help anything. You probably know someone who’s taken a fall, so you know you need to start working on your balance, but a half hour at a time?

A few years ago (okay, more than a few…) I lost my balance and fell, wrecking my knee and triggering bursitis in both hips. That hurt. I couldn’t do my regular workouts for a while, so in my extra free time I started researching why people tend to fall more as they age. It turns out that it’s a natural phenomenon. We just lose stuff as we get older. Hair, eyesight, hearing, sense of balance. But, unlike hair, eyesight and hearing, balance is a “use it or lose it” thing. You can actually improve it. And, it really doesn’t take that long.

I should know. I do 2 minutes of balance exercises every day. Standing on one foot for a minute while I brush my teeth, and then the other one sometimes gets messy, but bathrooms wash. Some days I do more, but most days just those 2 minutes. And my balance has improved.

When you’re starting to develop a new habit, it’s hard to remember it some days. That’s why stacking the new one (a balance move) on an old one (brushing teeth) is so helpful. Pretty soon you don’t even have to think about the new one, and it just feels wrong if you miss it.

So, use that counter if you need it to stabilize yourself. Stand on one foot. Make sure your back is straight, your hips are level, and your core is tight. You’ve got a built-in ballet barre to help you with your balance moves. And if you don’t need to hold on, so much the better. Use your formerly wasted time – stop scrolling and start balancing. You’re not only improving your balance, you’re improving your resilience, too. Those who’ve fallen and not done anything about it are more likely to become isolated and withdrawn. But not us – we’re out there. Independent and able to do what we want, when we want.

And if you want more variety, download Your Week of Core-Centered Balance Moves. Simple but effective.

Strength or cardio first?

It’s the age-old question. Strength work or cardio first? You want to maximize your workout, and you know that you have to prioritize strength work. But you also have to get in your cardio. So, which should you do first? The experts agree – strength first, unless you’re focusing on endurance.

I don’t like to exercise – you know that – but I do want to stay fit and healthy. So I like to combine both strength and cardio in my workouts, even if I have less than an hour for my exercise session. By doing my strength work first, I’ll be fresher, and be able to focus on my form more. Chances are the exercises will be more effective, and I’ll build strength in my muscles more than if I did cardio first.

If I do cardio first, I’ll be more tired and my form won’t be as good. All good things to consider.

On the other hand, if I want to build my endurance, I’ll focus on cardio, spend a longer time on it, and just do the minimum amount of strength work.

Another thing to consider is whether one of your goals is losing weight. A small study found that doing strength training first actually burned more fat. Another point in its favor. Cardio relies on a mix of glycogen and fat for fuel, he added. “You burn glycogen when you lift weights, so if you do cardio afterward, your body has to burn more fat for fuel,” according to Danny King, physical trainer at the Life Time chain of fitness centers.

And don’t forget that body-weight exercises count as strength work. Push-ups and planks are great for strength. Lunges and burpees also count. To combine these body weight exercises with cardio work, perhaps do 30 seconds of jumping jacks, 30 seconds of planking, and so on. No need for fancy equipment.

Does your morning routine help or hinder you?

I’ve been reading a lot lately about morning routines. How do you start your day? Do you have the same routine every day? Just the weekdays? If you search for “successful morning routine,” you’ll find about a bazillion answers. That’s because what works for one person is probably not going to work for everyone. People are individuals, our brains are all wired differently. So it makes sense that my morning routine will be different from yours. The important thing is that your morning routine helps to make you as happy as possible.

My morning routine is nothing special. I wake up, get dressed, take the dogs out, feed the dogs breakfast, eat my own breakfast, wash, make my bed, train the dogs, take the dogs out again, and go to work. Lots there. One thing there makes me especially happy. And that’s “train the dogs.” I can see progress almost every day, depending on if we’re working on something specific, but my dogs always make me smile.

And that’s crucial. At least one thing in your morning routine should make you smile and be happy. Whether it’s breathing some fresh air or writing in your journal or training your dogs, something should put a smile on your face.

I read an article about the top morning routines of successful people and it’s got the usual things: wake up early, grab a good breakfast, hydrate, move your body, meditate, write in a journal, read a book, make a to-do-list. But the one thing that kind of surprised me in that list was to practice gratitude. I’ve written about it before, and I do it myself every day, but didn’t really expect to see that Marie Kondo also has a daily gratitude practice.

Being grateful helps me to be happier – it ties me to my family, friends and the world. And it’s part of every day’s routine.

How to know if the work you’re doing matters

How often do we think about whether the work we’re doing really matters? You’re plugging along and then think to yourself, “Why am I even doing this?” Does it matter to your life? Your kids’ lives? The community? That’s really the point of setting goals, isn’t it? To do work that matters. To set us up for success, the way we define it. And to leave a lasting impression.

But, before we start working on a goal, or before the work goes on too long, how do we know? For example, if I’m working on a goal, creating a report that I initially believe folks who read my work will find valuable, how do I really know that people will find value in it? Am I just writing to put words on a page (or white screen)?

Here are 5 signs that the work you’re doing is valuable from Kathy Oneto, entrepreneur and founder of Sustainable Ambition.

First, you can link your work to a valuable outcome. I’ll know my report is valuable when I can prove that if my readers follow advice given, they’ll be happier or healthier. Shouldn’t that be the purpose of a fitness blog?

Next, if people tell me that they get something out of my work, I’ve fulfilled a goal. I mostly write for myself, because there’s no assurance that anyone else will read my articles. But when people tell me that they’ve followed a point and been successful, that’s really rewarding.

If I’m making progress on my own goals, then I know my work is valuable. Much of my work is for others to see, so if more people see it and get benefits from it, I’m succeeding. And that’s motivation to move forward.

If my work aligns with my core values, then I’ll keep going. When I’m training my dog, it’s not always easy. But if the methods I use align with my values, and I see even slight improvements, then I’m encouraged and I know my work matters.

And if I’m growing, learning, and being challenged by my work, then that’s a good thing. If I’m growing and learning, then my work is probably getting better. More people will get value from it. And I’ll know it matters.

If you’re working on a fitness goal – yay! Good for you – not only does the work you do benefit your health, your healthy aging, but it also benefits your family. Haven’t you noticed that you’re in a better mood more of the time? You’ll be around to play with the dog and the grandkids. And you’ll have more fun doing it.